If given a blank slate, how would you design a campground? Say, one in a national park. It’s an interesting question; one I’d have an abundance of opinions on. But rather than bore you with my pontificating on the matter, I invite you to join me for a stroll through Snowforest Campground in Mount Revelstoke National Park to see how Parks Canada answered this question.
Opening in 2020, Snowforest Campground is the first new front country campground built in a Canadian National Park since the 1960s. That fact shocked me when I first read it, though it goes a long way in explaining the insanity that is reserving campsites these days. This past May long weekend, the family and I finally paid a visit.
Snowforest Campground Location
Snowforest Campground is located in the southwest corner of Mount Revelstoke National Park in British Columbia, Canada. Mount Revelstoke, and nearby Glacier National Park (not to be confused with its USA namesake park), are the lesser-known cousins to Canada’s famed mountain parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay.
This corner of the park borders the city of Revelstoke, a CPR town and notable pitstop on the TransCanada Highway. More recently, Revelstoke has focused on tourism with a major ski hill and resort development alongside a downtown revitalization program. It’s got a youthful, hippy vibe in some respects and reminds me of Fernie, which we visited last year.
Nestled between the Selkirk Mountains to the east, and the Monashee Mountains to the west, the area around Revelstoke is part of an inland rainforest. The bulk of that precipitation falls as snow during the winter, hence the name “snowforest”.
In fact, the highest recorded single winter snowfall in Canada occurred on nearby Mount Copeland, with a whopping 24 metres (80 feet) in 1971-1972. The townsite endured nearly 8 metres of snow. Not at all surprising, then, that Revelstoke is renowned for “powder” and home to heli-skiing, cat-skiing, and snowmobiling operations.
From a geography standpoint, Snowforest Campground feels more like a Revelstoke campround than a Mount Revelstoke campground. The drive from campground to downtown is a mere, though circuitous, five kilometres. Biking or walking is a more direct two kilometres.
This is fantastically convenient, as you will be camping within earshot of civilization and all its amenities. Great for emergencies and tourist activities but also includes highway and railway noise. It’s not necessarily disruptive but you will be aware of it several times during your stay. So, if escaping the trappings of humanity is high on your priority list, Snowforest Campground may not be your best choice.
Snowforest Campground Site Composition
The campground is built into the forested hillside at the base of Mount Revelstoke near the start of the Meadows in the Sky Parkway. It’s a short 1 km jaunt off the TransCanada with signage from both directions.
Snowforest Campground is small for a front country, RV-friendly place. This is not Two Jack in Banff or even Redstreak in Kootenay. There are only 63 campsites, nearly half of which are walk-in tent sites, plus 3 micrOcubes. I don’t know, I guess I thought if you’re building your first campground in half a century, you’d aim for something bigger.
On the other hand, they’ve done a good job with site variety. There really is something here for everyone. As mentioned, there are 27 walk-in tent sites in three pods. These are complemented by 22 electrified sites and 17 non-electrified sites for a total of 39 campsites capable of handling an RV of some sort.
Of those 39 campsites at Snowforest Campground, 11 are pull-throughs, 25 back-ins (including one accessible site), and 3 that Parks Canada call “lay-by” sites which is new terminology to me. I’ll explain what they are in a bit.
Snowforest Campground Layout
It’s evident that Parks Canada shuns any semblance of geometric shape repetition or gridding in their new campground designs. Snowforest Campground resembles one of those weird Burgess Shale creatures which presumably makes it more suitable to Yoho NP.
A short entrance driveway takes you to a bisected central loop filled by the pull-through campsites. Around this elongated loop are the walk-in sites and some back-in sites. At the far end of the loop is a long road culminating in a small turnaround loop. Together they create a body and probiscis shape reminiscent of opabinia.
The entire campground slopes upward from south (entrance) to north (probiscis terminus) and despite being built within a forested mountainside, it’s rather open. I wouldn’t say it’s a clearcut, but there was certainly no effort made to keep the campsites fully sheltered with trees.
The main loop road and most, but oddly not all, of the probiscis road are paved while the loop interior pull-through road section is gravel.
Pull-through Campsites
If your camping adventures come via motorhome or a larger travel trailer, you’re probably going to want one of the 11 pull-through sites at Snowforest Campground. These are easily the longest sites in the campground and provide the most space for big rigs.
All the pull-through sites have electrical service, (15/30/50 amp) but no water or sewer.
I was a bit surprised to see that some of these campsites aren’t level. Sure, they’re at the base of a mountain, but with all the modern earth-moving equipment available these days, I’d have though campsites of this nature would be level to microns. They are not, so be sure to have some leveling materials on board.
And to reiterate, this area of the campground is not densely covered with tall conifers. Several of the pull-through sites are completely void of trees. Only a couple offer any meaningful shade. This is good for viewing the surrounding mountain peaks, I suppose, but not so great for hot, sunny, summer days. Unless you’re one of those weirdos that likes the sun.
Back-in Campsites
I chose campsite A17, one of the 11 electrified back-in campsites on the east side of the loop. It offered plenty of room for our Geo Pro and Pathfinder. The length of back-ins varies a fair bit, so be sure to book according to your RV size.
Like the pull-through sites at Snowforest Campground, our site was not level. It sported a noticeable slope upwards from front to back. This required a significant amount of extension of our jack to get the trailer level front to back. We also employed some lifts on the driver’s side wheel to get side to side level.
And ours wasn’t even the worst situation in the campground. One other trailer had their coupler within an inch of the ground to get level. Theirs was a much longer trailer than ours, but I certainly didn’t expect brand new campsites to require such comical efforts to get level.
Then there is the tiering employed in several of the sites, ours included. I’ve seen this before and while it’s undoubtedly visually appealing, tiered campsites can be problematic for basic functionality.
For example, our site had an elevated user/firepit area compared to the RV parking area. When we deployed our awning, a person standing on the elevated tier was able to interact with the top side of the awning. If you weren’t paying attention, you could easily decapitate yourself on the thing.
Down on the trailer’s level, there was limited width available for setting up a picnic table next to your camper. Assuming you could move the picnic table, that is. They’re made of concrete and thick wood tops in the non-tent sites and are thus immovable. Regardless, the tiering limited the width of the space adjacent to our trailer and that was a bit annoying. But, hey, pretty.
Not all of the back-in sites have such tiering, so if this is a dealbreaker, you can find a typical, all-on-one level site.
The non-electric back-in campsites are almost exclusively located on the probiscis. One of these, B12, is identified as an accessible site on the campground map. Rather odd that the lone accessible campsite has no electricity.
None of the back-in sites at Snowforest Campground has water or sewer and the electrified ones come with 15/30/50 amp service.
Lay-by Campsites at Snowforest Campground
As mentioned, there are 3 lay-by sites in the campground, located along the west side of the loop nearest the entrance. Lay-by refers to campsites in which the parking area is a modest pullout at the side of the road and the campsite itself is adjacent, and in this case, on a lowered tier.
It’s an obtuse name for a tent campsite that isn’t a walk-in, though I suppose a very small trailer might work in the narrow pullout. And to be honest, there isn’t much room for a tent on the lower pad with the firepit. They’re just odd campsites imho.
None of them have electricity, water, or sewer.
Walk-in Tent Sites at Snowforest Campground
It’s clear that tent campers were a priority when designing Snowforest Campground. Almost everywhere else we camp, these types of sites are afterthoughts stuck in any bit of leftover space. Not so, here.
There are 3 pods of walk-in tent sites, C, D, and E. Pod C is located on a flat bit of land right by the entrance backing onto forest and a small creek. Pod D is within the forest behind the Campground Centre and sites A17 and A18. And Pod E is also in the forest, down the hill from where the shower house is located.
They’re all void of onsite services, of course, and if I had to choose, I’d pick a spot in Pod D thereby annoying myself camping in A17. But Pod D is furthest from any roads and has quick access to the Soren Sorensen trail which connects to the greater park trail system. For hikers or mountain bikers, it’s easily the best choice for tent camping.
Parking for the walk-in tent sites is found at various points around the loop road. Most are conveniently located near the trailhead to their designated campsites. The exception, according to the map, is parking for D14 and D15 which is inexplicably located in the middle of the pull-through campsites.
Campsite Amenities
All campsites, regardless of layout, offer a gravel pad surrounding a firepit and picnic table.
Firepits are tall metal rings with a cut front and coarse grill on the top rear. The grills are stationary and better suited to holding a pot rather than grilling anything like meat on directly.
Picinic tables vary from the immoveable stone/wood beasts in RV sites to all-wood versions at the walk-in tent sites. These are still more solid than a typical backyard picnic table but I think they are still moveable, though I never thought to try.
With the tiering and lack of trees in the central loop, there are some sweet views of the mountains available from some sites. Not all, of course, but if you’re lucky you’ll have a gorgeous view from your campfire as the sun sets.
Campsites without electricity tend to have brown food storage bins onsite. Revelstoke is prime bear country, making food storage a high priority for campers. That said, some of these immovable storage bins are placed in awkward locations. Take site B8, for example, where the food locker is smack dab between the picnic table and firepit. Who the hell thought that was a good idea?
Additional food storage is available in the shower house and at the Campground Centre, both in the picnic shelter and behind the main building.
Campsite Privacy
Privacy between sites at Snowforest Campground runs the gamut from limited to am I alone here. I wouldn’t describe any of the sites as being sardine cans. B8 and B9 are a shared site, so presumably supposed to be lacking in privacy. Some of the pull-through sites have absolutely nothing by way of vegetation between them but nor are they crammed together.
Our campsite offers an interesting predicament. When booking it looked private enough to me. There’s a walk-in site parking lot on one side and another campsite on the other. Neither is especially close and there was some tiering and foliage that segregated our site from A18. All good.
However, behind us, up in the trees, was a large pod of walk-in tent sites. This had the potential to be rather unnerving had they been filled with (stereotype warning) guitar-picking, mountain-biking campers. They weren’t, thankfully, as the campground was limited to hard-sided camping equipment only at this time of year due to bears.
I’m just not sure I’d have liked having campers up above me like that. Those tent sites were denser and up the hill from our site. Anyone up there could just look right down at our goings-on. Not a fan, especially considering B7 exists.
If I ever return to Snowforest Campground, I’ll be sure to book this campsite by any means necessary. Located at the very tip of the turnaround loop of the probiscis, B7 is an isolated gem. It has no power, and the table/firepit layout is a tad crappy, but goodness the privacy is wonderful.
MicrOcubes
MicrOcubes appear to be the latest attempt at glamping. Based on my interpretation of the campground map provided on the Parks Canada website, the three micrOcubes have been added subsequent to the Snowforest Campground opening in 2020. So, in less than 4 years they’re already upgrading this place.
The micrOcubes are small wood cabin type things. They’re smaller than any similar style permanent “camping” structures I’ve previously seen at a Parks Canada campground. None were open for me to snoop around in, but the view through a screened window indicates they contain a futon-like bed, a couple lawn chairs, and a table.
So, a tent on steroids. You’d still need to bring all your camping equipment with you. I guess if you’re not interested in investing in a tent or RV but still want something more rustic than a cottage, a micrOcube is what you’d want? They look cute, but not something I’d rent.
What is Snowforest Campground Missing?
If you’ve read my reviews over the years, you’ll know well my perplexion at the lack of playgrounds in Parks Canada campgrounds. Well, I’m here to tell you that despite 60 years of contemplation, Parks Canada still does not deem it worthwhile building playgrounds in national parks. I still think that’s weird.
Snowforest Campground also does not have a dump station. This is a little less surprising considering how relatively few RV-friendly campsites there are there. I mean, it would have been super convenient had there been one available, but it’s not a shock there wasn’t.
Instead, you can drive into an out-of-the-way industrial area in the east end of Revelstoke and use a community dump station. It’s just a couple minutes’ drive off the highway but will cost you a few bucks to use. Be sure to have a credit card available to use the payment machine that, unlike so many others, is functioning.
Potable Water
With the lack of a dump station, there’s a similar lack of a dedicated RV water filling station. Usually, the dump station and drinking water fill up go hand in hand which, now that I write it out, seems kind of gross.
There are two public taps available, though during our visit in early 2024 one of them appeared damaged as it was missing its handle. The other, found diagonal from the shower house, worked just fine.
At the time of our arrival, the campground was sparsely populated so we were able to pull our RV to the side of the main road and fill from this tap. As it is the only viable option, I image this could cause some traffic grief at busier times within the campground. Feels like an oversite to me in there not being a better filling station for RVs.
Otherwise, the water was fine. Clear and cold albeit with a slight earthy taste compared to our home city water.
Campground Theme at Snowforest
If Parks Canada nailed anything with their new campground it’s the facilities. There are two buildings of note at Snowforest Campground, the Campground Centre and the shower house, and both are lovely timber structures espousing the expected mountain parks vibe.
If Snowforest perhaps underwhelms elsewhere, it excels with customer facing facilities. These buildings are top notch and visually impressive. They look both pretty and durable, leaving little doubt that you’re in one of Canada’s mountain national parks.
With that last point in mind, I should say that Snowforest Campground has gone all in on the wildlife theme. Every little section of the campground is named after some kind of critter. The bathrooms have two large bear cutouts on display and the grating by the main entrance is a large bear’s paw.
Hell, each individual stall within the bathroom is branded with a unique animal including a placard on the wall sporting a picture and short Hinterland Who’s Who type description of the creature. Great bathroom reading, but maybe a smidge overdone?
Campground Centre at Snowforest Campground
The Campground Centre at Snowforest Campground is a gorgeous, albeit sparse, welcome to the campground and Mount Revelstoke National Park. The interior is split in two by a lovely stone fireplace. On one side is the service desk where you can register, check-in, or get information about your visit from park staff. There is no store or WiFi, but being so close to Revelstoke that really isn’t an issue and cell service is good.
The other half is a modest educational area highlighted by a three-dimensional model of the park. One the walls are some informative placards and local artwork. It’s hardly the largest or most immersive visitor area we’ve ever seen, but better than nothing.
Attached to the Campground Centre but with a separate entrance, is a picnic shelter. It’s more of a communal cabin than simple picnic shelter, with full walls and windows, lighting, and food storage alongside the expected picnic tables. Sadly, there is no fireplace or wood stove in the shelter area.
That’s a definitive fumble considering the surroundings. Especially when there is a piano inside. The piano is in rough shape, out of tune, and some keys stick when played, but hey, what a fun way to entertain a bunch of kindred camping spirits. Having a toasty fire burning while a dozen friends and strangers bond over piano man sounds like a win to me.
To the rear of the shelter is a rock garden with some conifer cone sculptures beneath a covered deck with stools. Another lovely gathering spot and nice addition to a registration office.
Shower House
I think the shower house at Snowforest Campground surpasses the Campground Centre in looks, which isn’t always the case with bathrooms. The timber framed entrance is a knockout and invites you into a well-planned, well-executed modern shower house.
The main entrance of the shower house directs guests to a central, communal cleanup area. There are multiple sinks, one lowered for accessibility, along one wall and maintenance stations along the other wall. I was told to specifically mention these by my wife and daughter.
I didn’t know what they were, but they informed me they are fantastic as they enable women to do their hair and apply makeup without causing a backlog at the sinks. Cudos to Parks Canada for including these as they made a huge impression upon the female members of my family.
My only gripe about this setup is the sensor on the faucets. You cannot adjust temperature or pressure and must engage water flow by placing your hand, or an object, directly beneath the faucet end. This is nothing new, but we all found the sensor terribly finicky, especially when trying to brush our teeth. The sensor struggled to acknowledge the toothbrush. After it did successfully, the water stopped the millisecond I’d move my toothbrush into the water stream or towards my mouth. It was a pain in the ass.
To the right of the cleaning stations are two halls, one at the front and one at the rear, leading to banks of individual, unisex bathroom stalls (4 in each bank). These stalls are wholly enclosed toilets with locking doors. There are no urinals, but the privacy of the stalls is a winner. Dual purpose family/accessible bathroom stalls are also present. These too are individual, private bathrooms, they’re just larger in size and include changing tables.
To the left there are two more halls leading to men’s and women’s showers. Along the way are accessible shower stalls.
The regular shower areas are behind a solid door lest anyone panic about the unisex nature of this shower house. Again, the showers are presented as individual, private stalls with locking doors. The men’s side had three such stalls.
Inside each stall is a small change area with a bench and hangers on the wall. A fan/light timer engages with a twist. The shower area itself is roomy and offers full control of the water temperature, which is wonderful. Almost as wonderful as the fact the showers are free.
If there is one downside to the showers, it has to be the showerheads. Though new and certainly functioning fine, they release water very close to the wall. I had some difficulty getting a comfortable, complete rinse of my nether regions and I imagine much larger people would have even greater difficulty.
The accessible shower has removable wands for rinsing which would have been handy in the regular showers as well. That, or showerheads that point away from the rear wall more. Otherwise, great showers.
Cleaning Stations for Tent Campers
Cleaning up for tent campers is an easy chore with sparkling stainless-steel sinks and work tables attached to the exterior of both the Campground Centre and the shower house.
The Campground Centre has one sandwiched between food lockers at the rear of the building. Two reside at the north end of the shower house and include a protective overhang for cleaning up during inclement weather.
Firewood
Across the road from the shower house is the firewood bin. It’s a three-sided structure that should keep wood dry, save for blowing rain from the east.
Firewood is presumably local and appears to be almost exclusively conifer. The chunks are large, so be sure to have an adequate ax to split it with. We had no trouble getting fires going despite the moist weather we experienced during our stay.
Payment for firewood is by daily fire permit. In 2024, that permit was $11 per day at Snowforest Campground. You can burn wood all the live long day for that $11, should you choose to. Hopefully, you do not.
Hiking and Geocaching
As seasoned geocachers, we’ve become resigned to the lack of geocaches in provincial and national parks. I understand the reasoning to some degree but still find it disappointing considering the other activities being allowed.
It was thus a delight to find park-sanctioned geocaches inside Mount Revelstoke National Park amongst the trails behind Snowforest Campground. We spent a couple hours exploring Soren Sorensen trail and hunting down the handful of geocaches hidden along it.
This 5 km trail loop roams the forest east of the campground. It is easily accessible from Pod D tent sites as well as trailheads near the Campground Centre and shower house.
The trail is wide with mostly dirt or gravel base and is open to mountain bikers as well as hikers. There is elevation change but nothing exceptionally difficult. Along the way you’ll pass some brooks which are cute and the odd outcropping or rock, but mostly you’re traipsing through forest.
At several spots, educational posts with some unique interactive question and answer functionality tell you about the local flora and fauna. These are new so in great shape and I loved their concept. It’s a shame they will one day be worn out, broken, or gone.
Something truly unique found along the trail is a stretching station. This metal apparatus allows you to stretch your back in a twisting motion or your arms in an overhead fashion. Very cool and never before seen by us.
Soren Sorensen trails links up with a larger trail network in the park including the Inspiration Woods hike, the Beaver Lodge Kids’ Bikepark and the Nels Nelson ski jump hike.
Things To Do Near Snowforest Campground
Mount Revelstoke National Park is not a touristy park filled with dozens of easily accessed viewpoints, short walks to waterfalls, and overpriced tourist towns. It’s not Banff. So, if you’re camping at Snowforest Campground, particularly early in the season when portions of the park remain inaccessible, you’ll need to look outside her boundaries for interesting things to do.
Revelstoke Farm & Craft Market
Revelstoke is a great town with a rail and lumber history now reimagining itself as an outdoor playground. The lushness of the region only adds to its appeal. Seems fitting it would have a robust farmers market through the summer months.
Located right in the centre of town, each Saturday starting in early May there’s a robust farm and craft market showcasing local artisans and foodies. A great way to snag a special treat for your grill or salad bowl or maybe a unique keepsake to remember your trip. And if you’re more local, there are plenty of potted flowering plants and vegetable starters to fill your garden.
Revelstoke Dam
A quick ten-minute drive from the campground gets you to the impressive Revelstoke Dam, a hydroelectric generation station on the Columbia River. The dam has a visitor centre with 45 minute guided tours of the facility. Big dams like this are always worth an hour of your time to admire the engineering feats humans are capable of, not to mention environmental disruption.
The gift shop is a bit weak.
BC Interior Forestry Museum
If you’re keen on historical, industrial museums, on the way to the dam you’ll pass right by the BC Interior Forestry Museum. We briefly stopped but the kids decided it wasn’t of interest at that very moment, so we didn’t investigate further.
There are plenty of outdoor exhibits of large, old forestry machinery and indoors smaller devices are on display. I’d have looked around more had I not been outvoted.
Revelstoke Railway Museum
Revelstoke is also home to a decent railway museum with an impressive old steam engine you can climb on and into. We visited this museum when the kids were much younger so didn’t return on this trip. I still recommend it, especially to train nuts.
Three Valley Gap
If you’re ever driven the TransCanada through BC, you’ll have passed the chateau and ghost town at Three Valley Gap about 15 minutes west of Revelstoke. I’ve passed it at least a dozen times but never stepped foot on the premises usually because it is packed with tourists and I’m eager to get somewhere. This long weekend, I finally stopped in to see what the hoopla is all about.
Located at the east end of Three Valley Lake, the red tin roofs are a siren to the age of family road trips and roadside motels. I have no idea why I say that it’s just the vibe I get whenever I see this place.
There are two halves to the premises: the chateau to the west and the ghost town to the east. Having never been here before, I was delighted to discover a beautiful courtyard hidden behind the road-facing chateau building. And up on the rock face behind is a spidery mountain waterfall. How lovely.
I was unable to see any of the rooms to judge their adequacy for a vacation, but I did snoop around the main reception entrance as well as the gift shop/restaurant/cafeteria complex. The wooden reception desk and opposing snooker table lounge area are dated and perfectly suited for such a venue.
The restaurant was not yet open for the season and judging by the lack of people in the building, rightfully so. The cafeteria appeared to be open but was not functioning at full capacity yet. The gift shop has lots of nicknacks, even placemats.
The east half of the property houses the ghost town and gigantic roundhouse. This is where Three Valley Gap gets strange. The “ghost town” could easily be called a pioneer village, or museum for that matter. It’s an accumulation of old buildings from the surrounding area, or re-creations of such. Each is crammed with antiques and junk from yesteryear. It’s an American Pickers heaven!
In amongst the typical ghost town trappings, you’ll find a bottle building, a collection of old, restored cars, and a collection of various carriages. Old pianos are also strangely popular and are found throughout the grounds.
There are sometimes two or more versions of a building type, such as two saloons and two schoolhouses. Many of the displays include rather creepy, period-dressed modern mannequins. It’s quite an experience.
Then there’s the massive railroad roundhouse. This is not some salvaged old building from former railroad glory days. It’s a massive, modern concrete and steel structure that left me confused as to why it even exists.
It must have cost a small fortune to build and yet it is perhaps 2/3rd empty. The front rooms host yet more antique displays. In the main roundhouse are some old passenger train cars you can walk through. There are even a couple haunted Halloween railcars you can investigate if you’re brave enough. Oh, and more pianos.
Beyond that, however, nothing seems to be happening inside this out-of-place structure. There is only one old steam engine on display and little indication that the collection is expanding or being refurbished. Considering the Railway Museum in Revelstoke exists not too far away, this roundhouse is an oddity for sure.
Enchanted Forest
Another novelty on the TransCanada a further ten minutes west of Three Valley Gap is the Enchanted Forest. This is an even weirder looking place. Unlike Three Valley Gap, I did not break with tradition and visit. I doubt I ever will, now that the kids are teens.
It’s certainly a popular place and I’ll forever be left to wonder why. If you’ve got young ones in your crew, perhaps you’ll want to avoid my folly and investigate. Maybe grandkids (gasp!) will be the trigger to get me to visit.
Meadows in the Sky Parkway
The name alone reminded me of Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park in Montana. This isn’t quite that (what is) but it has potential to be a worthy drive up the mountainside. Unfortunately, in late May much of the parkway remains closed to public traffic. This was a huge disappointment for us.
We were able to ascend as far as Columbia Viewpoint which is not quite halfway to the end of the road. At the top there are further trails you can hike to even higher points. We were unable to do any of this.
What we did see was pretty enough. The view of Revelstoke and the Columbia River Valley from both Columbia Viewpoint and Monashee Lookout are quite nice. And picnicking at Monashee would be a nice outing with loved ones. But damn, I really wanted to get to the top and see the actual meadows.
Snowforest Campground Conclusion and Rating
Our long weekend in Revelstoke was a mixed bag but mostly positive. The weather was erratic, swinging from cool and rainy to brief periods of warm sun but never hot. Such is the May long weekend in these parts.
We were able to enjoy campfires each night and went out to see several sights, so it was far from a write-off. I think we all enjoyed the weekend. Still, it could have been better.
I’d have liked to know before booking that portions of the campground and the park are still closed in late May. While having no tent campers behind us was likely a blessing, being unable to ascend the full length of the Meadows in the Sky Parkway was a disappointment. The bit we were able to view was more tease than anything else.
As for Snowforest Campground, I liked it but did not love it. I had high hopes for this brand new campground and I feel that Parks Canada didn’t quite knock it out of the park. More like a ground rule double, in my book.
I’d have preferred the campground to be built further into the park. It needn’t be buried in the boonies, but a little further off the main highway would have been nice. And keeping more trees feels like a ridiculous thing to have to say for a campground named SnowFOREST.
The main facilities are fantastic. Beautiful buildings that properly capture the feel of a mountain park. The shower house especially. That’s a great modern building that perfectly melds unisex openness with privacy.
The campsites, however, were a bit of a letdown. The tiering, which I like in concept, makes things a bit less convenient and functional for RV campers. I also didn’t much care for having walk-in tent sites hovering overhead at our site even if they were empty in May. And the overall lack of levelness on many sites is unforgivable in 2024.
A more convenient water filling station for RVs could be helpful on busy summer arrival days. The lack of a playground always gets a needling from me even if my kids are far too old for them now.
Overall, though, it’s a decent effort for a new campground in a slightly lesser tier national park. I will give Snowforest Campground 3.8 Baby Dill Pickles out of 5. It has the makings of a great campground but isn’t quite there. If only they’d asked me for pointers!
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